Splitting machine



2 Sh0ets-$heet 1 D. w. BUNKER ET AL SPLITTING MACHINE Filed se t. 26. 1925 Aug. 16,1927.

Aug, 16, 1927.

D. W. BUNKER ET AL SPLITTING MACHINE Filed Sept. 26. 1925 2 Shoots- Sheet 2 Patented Au 16, 1927.

u Nir E. STAT E i.

1,638,915 PATENT OFFICE.

nARIgs w. BUNKER, OE QUINCY, AND ROY w. CUMMINGS, or BEVERLY, MASSACHU- SETTS, ASSIGNORS r0 "UNITED sEOE MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF rATERsON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION on NEW JERSEY.

SPLITTING MACHINE.

Application filed September 26, 1925. Serial N 0. 58,900.

This invention relates to machines designed for use in the manufacture of boots and shoes and is herein set forth as embodied in a machine for cutting from sheet of leather-board or'similar material astrip of desired width and for splitting the strip so cut into two symmetrical portions irrespective of variations in the thickness of the strip.

Machines of this general type commonly comprise a pair of feed rolls, one of which revolves about a fixed axis and the other of which. is bodily movable toward and from the first-named roll so as tobe capable of rising and falling as thicker or thinner localities are encountered in the strip of stock; and, extending diagonally across the gap between the rolls, is a splitting knife adapted to swing about an axis extending through the knife edge at one end thereof in response to the rise and fall'of the bodily movable roll. Machines of this type are required to operate upon strips of different widths and for this reason have been provided with adjustable compensating mechanism for varying the extent of angular movement of the knife which correspoonds to a given extent of movement of the bodily movable roll, since the angular movement of the knife due to variations in thickness of narrow strip of stock should be of a different extent from those due to variations in thickness of a wider strip if both strips are to be accurately split. Such compensating mechanism, particularly after it has become somewhat worn, tends to introduce erro s so that the strips of stock are not split diagonally from' corner to corner with unfailing accuracy.

The general object of the present invention is to simplify machines of this general type and to do away with the compensating mechanism referred to above.

According to one feature of the inven: tion, the knife support is mounted upon a member which is rigid with the bearing of the bodily movable roll and is adjustable on said member toward and from the pivot aboutwhich the knife swings so as'to position the knife initially at the desired inclination. In the illustrated machine, the knife support is in the form of a pin'which engages the free portion of the pivoted knife at a locality close to one-end of the bodily movable roll, said pin being adjustable toward and from the pivot so as to permit the initial angular position of the knife to be varied. With this construction every. bodily movement of the roll causes an equal bodily movement of the knife supporting pin and, when the pin has once been adjusted to position the knife initially at the proper inclination fora strip of stock of any given width, the strip will be split d agonally from corner to corner irrespective of variations in the thickness of said Stllll,

This and other features of the invention, including certain details of construction and combinations of parts, will be described as embodied in an illustrative machine and pointed out in the appended claims. Referring now to the accompanying draw- 111232- Figure 1 is a plan of a portion of a machine in which the present invention is embodied.

Figure'2 is a rear elevation of a portion of the machine.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the machine with certain parts broken out, and

Figure 4 is a cross-section of a strip of stock which has been cut off from a sheet and split diagonally from corner to corner.

The illustrative machine, except for the manner in which the knife is mounted, is similar to the machine shown in Patent No. 1,238,088, granted Aug. 28, 1917, upon an application filed in the name of Baxteryand, before proceeding to a description of what is new, a brief description of the construction which is similar to that of the patented machine will be given. The machine comprises two feed rolls 5 and 7 having rotary shear members 9 and 11 to which a sheet of stock is presented by placing it upon a table 13 with one edge against a guide 15, said guide having a dovetailed sliding connection, 17 with the table whereby it may be adjusted to cause strips of different widths to be cut off from the sheet and being provided with means (not shown) for holding it' in adjust ed position. The shaft to' which the lower roll 7 is fast is rotatable in a fixed bearing carried'by the frame of the machine. The bearing of the shaft of the upper roll 5 is formed at the outer end" of a lever 19 pivoted tothe frame ofthe machine at 2 d.

lever being urged at all times to swing in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 3, by a heavy spring 23 so as to cause the roll 5 to move downwardly, the extent to which said roll may thus be moved being limited by an adjustable stop, not shown. Located in the rear of the rolls and extending diagonally across the gap between the rolls is a knife 25 which is mounted for angular movement about the axis of the pin 27 (Figure 2), said axis extending through the upper outer corner of the lower roll 7. The inner side of the knife (the left-hand side, as viewed in Figure 2) rises and falls as the bearing of the upper roll 5 rises and falls so that the strip of stock which is fed to the knife is split in the manner shown in Figure 4:. The machine, as thus far described, is or may be substantially the same as that of the patent and no further description of the details of its construction will be given, reference being made to the patent. It will be understood, however, that, as the continuously rotating rolls feed the sheet of stock, the rotary shear members 9, 11 cut from the sheet a strip of stock the width of which depends upon the position of the guide 15, and that the knife 25 splits this strip by a diagonal out. It should also be understood that a set of upper rolls of clifferent lengths are provided to correspond to different widths of strips which are to be cut off from the sheet of stock and split di-" agonally, and that spacers 29 'on the upper roll shaft 31 are provided to permit this interchange of rolls. The reason for a construction of this sort, in which the effective length of the upper roll may be varied, is that the edge of the knife should lie close to the periphery of the roll at the left-hand end thereof, as viewed in Fig. 2, whatever the width of the strip of stock which is being split and that said roll should engage the whole width of the strip. hen changing from a wider strip to a narrower one, for example, it is necessary to change the position of the left-hand end of the upper roll, either by providing a shorter roll (as in the illustrative construction) or by adjusting the roll to the right in order to provide space for the left-hand portion of the knife when it is swung up into its new position.

The pin 27, referred to above, extends through and is supported by a boss 33 carried at the upper outer end of a web or bracket 35 which is rigid with the frame of the machine; and rotatably mounted on the end portions of the pin is the outer portion of a knife carrier 37, said carrier being forked, as shown to receive the boss 33 between its arms. The knife 25 is adjustably clamped to a flat surface formed on the knife carrier by screws 89 which pass through slots formed in the knife and are threaded into the knife carrier. A screw 10, threaded through a boss on the knife carrier, and engaging the back of the knife, facilitates the adjustment of the knife. A coiled tension spring 41, engaging at its lower end a pin The pin is threaded into a slide block 49 3 which has in its under side a groove to fit over an inclined guide bar 51; and threaded through the block in a direction parallel to the bar is an adjusting screw 53, the stem of the screw aassin loosel throu h a bore in' 1 b a C an upstanding lug 55 formed at the outer end of the guide bar, the construction being such that the screw is held from longitudinal movement with respect to the lug. A hand wheel 57 at the outer end of the screw furnishes convenient means for turning the screw and thereby adjusting the slide block 4-9 and with it the supporting pin 47, along the guide bar to adjust the knife into the desired initial angular position; The guide bar 51 has a depending rib 59, the rib and bar being integral with each other and with a block 61 which is slidable in a vertical guideway in the frame of the machine. This block is also integral with the bearing of the upper roll, being formed on the lower end of an arm 63 which extends to the rear of and downward from said bearing. Consequently, as the upper roll 5 rises and falls in accordance with variations in the thickness of the strip of stock, the pin 417 rises and falls to the same extent. In order to hold the block 61 in its guideway the arm 63, with which the block is integral, has formed in its upper portion a vertical slot through which passes a bolt 65, said bolt also passing through a bore in .a boss formed on the frame of the machine and having a nut 67 on its outer end. A washer 69 is interposed be tween the head of the bolt and the adjacent face of the arm 63; and the stem of the bolt where it passes through the slot is small enough so that there is no binding of the parts when the bearing of the upper roll swings about the pivot 21, such swinging movement being of small extent.

It will be noted that the pin 47 engages the under side of the knife at a locality closely adjacent to the inner end of the upper roll 5 but slightly inside said end (to the left as viewed in Figure 2). It is, of course, impractical to locate the pin directly beneath the inner end of the upper roll, since in that position it would interfere with the passage of the work through the machine. If the pin could be located directly beneath the inner end of the upper roll, the guide bar 51 could be made horizontal. The reason forthe inclinatic-n of the bar is that thepin is slightly inside the inner end of said roll and should, therefore, be lowered slightly when the pin is adjusted tothe left as viewed in Figure 2 to' provide for a wider strip of stock. v

In the operation of themachine, an upper roll 5, of a length equal tothe width of the strip of stock which is to be cut off from a sheet of stock and split indicated in Figure 4:, is fastened to the shaft 81', and the edge guide adj uste'd' into line with the in ner end of said roll, as shown in Figure 1. The hand wheel 57 is" manipulatedto adjustthe knife supporting pin" 47 into a position closely adjacent to'the inner end of the roll 5, as shown in Fig. 2, so thatthe edge of the knife will lie close t'o'the periphery of said roll at the inner end thereof. A sheet of stock is then placed upon the table 13 with its edge against'the guide'15 and presented to the rolls. members't), 11 cut from the sheet a strip; and the knife splits [said strip diagonally from corner to corner, as shown in Figure 4-. If there are any variations in thickness of the strip, the roll 5 will rise and fall; and inasmuch the knife supporting pin 47' is rigid with the bearing of said roll, the pin will rise and fall with the roll and will at all times hold the knife in an angular position such that the desired cut will be made.

axis substantially perpendicular to the edge of the knife about which the knife may swing, and a support for engaging the knife at a locality spaced from the axis, said'support being adjustable toward and from the axis whereby adjustment of the supportvaries the angular position of-the knife.

2. A machinelof the class described having, in combination, a pair of feed members for advancing a piece of stock, a knife arranged to extend diagonally across the gap between the feed members in a direction inclined to the plane of the stock, an axis about which the knife may swing, and a support for engaging the knife at a locality spaced from the axis, said support being adjustable toward and from the axis in an inclined path the inclination of which is The cooperating rotary shear divergent from that'of the knife whereby adjustment of the support varies the angular position of the knife. I

31 A machine ofv the class described having, in combination, a pair of feed rolls, a

knife extending diagonally across the gap between the rolls, a pivot about which the knife may swing, a support for engaging the knife'at a locality spaced from the pivot, said support being adjustable toward and from the pivot to' vary the initial angular position of the knife, and yielding means for holding the knife against the support.

4. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a'.pair of feed rolls, a knife extending diagonally across the gap between the rolls, a pivot about which the knife may swing, and a support for engaging theknife 'at a locality spaced from the pivot, said support being adjustable. toward and from the pivot to vary'theinitial angular position. of the knife.

5. A machine of the class described having,in combination, a pair of feed rolls'for advancing a piece of stock, an angularly movable knife for acting upon the piece, one of said rolls being; movable bodily toward and from the other, a guide member located beneath the knife and movable with the bodily movabl'e'roll, and a knife support adjustable along said guide" member.

6. A machine of the" class described having, in combination, a pair of feed rolls for advancing apiece of stock, an angularly movable' knife for actingupon the piece,

one of said rolls being movable bodily toward and from the other, a guide member located beneath the knife and" movable with the bodily movable roll, andv a knife support adjustable in'two directions, along said guide'me'mber and in a direction at an angle {)0 the direction 'of extent of said guide mem- 7. machine of the class described having, in combination, a pair of feed rolls for advancing a piece of stock, an angularly movableknife for acting uponthe p.iece, one' of said rolls being movable bodily toward. and from'the'otlier, a guide member inclined to" the axes of the rolls and located beneath the knife andmovable with the bodily movable roll, and a knife support" adjustable along; said guide member.

8.'- A machine of the class described having, in combination, a pair of feed rolls for advancing: apiece-of stock, a knife ang'ularly movable about an axis which passes substantially through a point on the periphery of one of the rolls at one end thereof, and a support for engaging the knife in a locality adjacent to the other end of the other roll, said support being adjustable toward and from the axis about which the knife is movable,

9 ,A machine f the clas d ribed hav Him Ill)

&

ing, in combination, a pair of feed rolls separable to provide for variations in thickness of the stock as it passes between them, a knife pivotally mounted about an axis which passes substantially through a point on the periphery of one roll at the end thereof, a member rigidly connected with a movable bearing of one of the rolls so as to move with said bearing, and a support mounted on the member and adapted to engage the knife at a locality adjacent to the other end of the other roll, said support being adjustable toward and from the axis about which the knife is pivoted.

10. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a pair of feed rolls for advancing a piece of stock, an angularly movable knife for acting upon the piece, one of said rolls being movable bodily toward and from the other, a slide member so connected with the bodily movable roll that the extent of bodily movement of the member and the roll is at all times the same, and a knife support carried by the slide member.

11. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a pair of feed rolls, a bearing for one of the rolls which is bodily movable toward and from the other roll, a knife extending diagonally across the gap between the rolls, a pivot about which the knife may swing, a support for engaging the knife at a. locality spaced from the pivot, said support being adjustable toward and from the pivot to vary the initial angular position of the knife, and connections between the movable bearing and the support such that bodily movement of the bearing causes an equal bodily movement of the knife support.

12. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a pair of feed rolls, a bearing for one of the rolls which is bodily movable toward and from the other roll, a knife extending diagonally across the gap between the rolls, a pivot about which the knife may swing, a support for engaging the knife at a locality spaced from the pivot, said support being adjustable toward and from the pivot in a path inclined to the axes of the rolls to vary the initial angular position of the knife, and connections between the movable bearing and the support such that bodily movement of the bearing causes an equal bodily movement of the knife support.

13. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a pair of feed rolls and an angularly movable knife for cutting a piece of stock on an angle, one of said rolls being capable of having its effective length varied to provide for pieces of stock of different widths, a pivot about which the knife is movable, the axis of the pivot passing sub stantially through a point on the periphery of one of the rolls at one end thereof, and a support for engaging the knife at a locality adjacent the other end of the other roll, said support being adjustable toward and from the pivot so as to be capable of engaging the knife at a locality adjacent to the end of the last-named roll irrespective of the loca tion of said end. 14L, A machine of the class described hav mg, 111 combination, a pair of feed rolls and an angularly movable knife for cutting a piece of stock on an angle, one of said rolls being capable of having its effective length varied to provide for pieces of stock of different widths, a pivot about which the knife is movable, the axis of the pivot passing sub stantially through a point on the periphery of one of the rolls at one end thereof, and a support for engaging the knife at a locality adjacent the other end of the other roll, said support being adjustable toward and from the pivot in a path inclined to the axes of the rolls so as to be capable of engaging the knife at alocality adjacent to the end of the last-named roll irrespective of the location of said end. 15. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a pair of feed members for advancing a piece of stock, a pivoted knife for splitting the piece on an angle, one of said members being movable bodily toward and from the other in accordance with variations in thickness of the stock, a support adapted to engage the knife at a locality spaced from the pivot and slightly to one side of the inner end of the movable feed member, and a guide upon which said support is adjustabletransverse to the direction of feed movement of the work, said guide being movable with the movable feed member and so inclined that the level of the support changes as it is adjusted along the guide member to provide for operating upon pieces of work of different widths.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification.

DARIUS WV. BUNKER. ROY W CUMMINGS. 

